THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE

GODZILLA VS KONG:

By Kirsten Howard

The fourth film in Legendary's MonsterVerse franchise has something to prove.

There was a huge amount of excitement in store for monster movie fans when Legendary first announced that it would be bringing audiences a brand-new Godzilla movie in 2014.

Helmed by up-and-coming director Gareth Evans, Godzilla did well theatrically, but fans were ultimately left underwhelmed by the big lizard’s lack of screentime.

Meanwhile, Legendary was planning to reshape a planned King Kong film to create a shared universe with Godzilla.

The studio unleashed Kong: Skull Island in 2017.

The film found some success at the box office, and teased a future face-off between Godzilla and King Kong.

A direct sequel to Godzilla arrived in 2019. Godzilla: King of the Monsters was well received by critics, but underperformed theatrically.

Though it had a troubled production, Kong: Skull Island was ultimately considered to be the best of Legendary’s first three films.

People who had invested in the franchise tentatively got their hopes up for the culmination of Legendary’s series, which would be a new take on Godzilla vs. King Kong.

Godzilla vs. Kong is said to mix the comedic elements of Kong: Skull Island with the sometimes overly-serious vibe of the Godzilla films.

The upcoming movie stars True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård and Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown, who is reprising her role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

A first trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong promised to hit all the right notes, showcasing the two iconic creatures going head-to-head.

The humans of the film will need to unearth clues about how the monsters originated on Earth, and figure out how to deal with a rampaging Godzilla.

Kong and Godzilla are on course to battle it out until only one winner remains.

But a human conspiracy might end up wiping the Titans out before the mystery behind their emergence unravels.

Legendary’s MonsterVerse has arguably been a mixed bag up until now.

Can Godzilla vs. Kong end Legendary’s current plans for the franchise on a high note?